


One More Tomorrow (Haunted)

by Pacificrey



Series: I'm Not Afraid Of The Dark [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, The Creatures | Cow Chop RPF
Genre: F/M, Gen, monster au, spooky scary au, this was originally a chapter of BITN but I took it out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 23:21:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13937616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pacificrey/pseuds/Pacificrey
Summary: The story of how Anna became a ghost. (A side story off Bump In The Night)





	One More Tomorrow (Haunted)

**Author's Note:**

> So, the next chapter of Bump in the Night isn't done yet (sorry) so I'm going to post this as to make it up! This was supposed to originally be a chapter in that (like the first flashback) but it was so different from the story that I took it out. I still wanted to include it, so it is going to be its own thing! Hope you like it!

Anna didn’t like confrontation, but she knew that something had to be done. Her fingers fiddled with the empty glass in front of her, the sounds of the city outside not exactly drowning out her racing thoughts. 

 

“He’s not good for you,” the blonde next to her mumbled, and Anna shrugged. She knew that Asher was right, but that didn’t mean that it felt good. Craig had provided for her, and she couldn’t repay that. 

 

“He’s going to propose,” Anna whispered, and Asher’s eyebrows wrinkled together. “Then I…” She hesitated. “Then I’ll be stuck.” Asher put his hand on her shoulder, trying to give her some kind of comfort. 

 

“Hey. It’ll be ok. I know that you can figure this out. You’re, like the smartest girl I know.” Anna smiled, glad for Asher’s company. A frown crossed Anna’s face. 

 

“If I marry him, I probably won’t ever see you again.” Asher was silent. Both of them knew that even them being together here, in Asher’s place, would be enough cause for suspicion if anyone ever saw Anna here. But they were just friends, and Anna didn’t know how different her life would be without him. 

 

She could feel the tears building in her eyes. She couldn’t help it. Part of it was the alcohol, part of it was the fear of never seeing her best friend again. She pulled her knees up to her chin, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. 

 

“Hey, hey,” Asher whispered, gently wiping the tears from her face. “It’s going to be ok. Ok?” Anna nodded, sniffling and wiping the tears again. Asher sat back and held out his hand. “For old time’s sake.”

 

Anna let Asher pull her to her feet, and she watched as he carefully placed the needle down on the record, letting the music fill the room. Anna took a deep breath, letting herself get lost in the music, in the memories. She could remember when she heard the song the first time. She opened her eyes, and Asher was standing there, arms open. 

 

They danced for what seemed like forever. Asher’s living room wasn’t that big, but it felt infinite; they twirled and waltzed for the whole record. 

 

“I can’t do this,” Anna mumbled, her head resting on Asher’s chest. “I don’t want to live my life in fear.” Asher didn’t say anything, and Anna closed her eyes again, listening to Asher’s steady heartbeat. She heard Asher’s sudden intake of breath and Anna lifted her head. 

 

“Anna.” Asher said, staring into the next room.

 

“What is it?” Anna looked where Asher was staring, into the black. 

 

“The time.” Anna looked at the clock in the next room. It was almost 9 o’ clock. It took Anna half a second to process, and she was running to the door. Craig got out of work at 8:30, and had a 20-minute commute home. If Anna wasn’t home when Craig got home...she didn’t know what would happen. Anna threw on her coat, and just as she got out the door, Asher called her name. 

 

“Anna!” His head poked out the door. “Be careful.” Anna laughed, but there was nothing funny about the situation. 

 

“If I’m late, I am going to kill you.” 

 

It was a 10-minute walk from Asher’s apartment to Craig’s house, but Anna was running. He heart was racing, not just from the running, but from the constant stream of excuses she had: I’m sorry, we were out of milk, I was just getting some exercise, I was visiting with an old friend from high school. She couldn’t hide the red in her cheeks or the smell on her clothes. She just hoped that he wouldn’t notice.

 

A few people gave her strange looks as she ran down the street, and she knew what they were thinking: what was a young girl like her doing all alone this late at night? 

 

She tried to ignore their looks, hoping they didn’t catch her face and report her. The city was smaller than most thought and word spread quickly, and if people began to whisper that the girlfriend of Mr. Craig Patterson, the mayor’s son, was running through the city alone at night, then Craig would eventually hear it. 

 

She basically slid around the corner of the block, desperately pulling out her keys, trying to save herself time as she approached the house. The keys jangled in her shaking hands as she tried desperately to get the right key out, standing in front of the door. A hand grabbed her shoulder and she yelped as it pulled her around. 

 

Craig stood in front of her, and she could feel herself shaking in fear. He stared at her in confusion, and Anna opened her mouth, but nothing came out. 

 

“What are you doing out here honey?” Craig asked, his teeth clenched. Anna couldn’t say anything, she was frozen. “Honey?” he asked again.

 

“I, I was visiting with a friend,” Anna whispered, and she could feel Craig’s hand on her shoulder tightened. 

 

“Which friend?” Craig asked, and Anna froze again. Craig’s mouth turned ugly, and he brushed past Anna and unlocked the door, and Anna stood for a moment outside. _ I could run _ , she thought. 

 

Anna walked inside and was greeted by a backhand, sending her splayed onto the floor, holding her cheek. 

 

“Don’t think that I don’t know about everything that you do!” Craig yelled, hands curled into fists. Anna could feel tears prickling in her eyes. Craig grabbed her shirt, pulling Anna back onto her feet. “I fucking know about your and your little friend.” He threw her hard, and Anna winced as she heard her side crack, and felt the immediate wheezing in her breath. Craig walked into the kitchen, and Anna managed to push herself up onto her elbows. 

 

“It’s not like that!” She yelled back, and Craig appeared once again in the doorway, one hand behind his back. 

 

“Then what the fuck is it like? You look at all your friends that way? You dance with all your friends?” Craig was screaming, and Anna tried to summon any kind of strength that she had, ignoring the pounding in her head and the shooting pain in her side. 

 

“So what?” She screamed back at him. And Craig lunged at her, pulling out a knife. She held up her hands, but Craig was strong.

 

“I wasn’t good enough?” he screamed, and started stabbing, slashing at Anna. Anna was screaming as well, trying to keep her hands up to avoid the most of the damage. There was blood. Oh my god, there was blood everywhere. Her hands stung, and Anna realized that this was it. 

 

She was going to die. Craig was still screaming, and Anna felt as he angrily stabbed her body, over and over and over again. She was numb, her hands by now had fallen to her sides, she could taste blood, there was blood in her eyes, she could feel the warmth of it drip down her sides and pool under her body. Craig stopped, breathing heavy, and Anna took her last breath.

 

Anna knew that she was dead, but was still...here. She knew that she wasn’t breathing, but she knew that she was looking up at the ceiling. She had heard Craig leave the room, and could hear his heavy footsteps upstairs, heard the shower turn on. She blinked and sat up, holding up her hands in front of her face. They looked...real, and she felt around her chest trying to find the holes from the kitchen knife. 

 

Nothing. 

 

She was clean, her body felt fine, she didn’t ache or feel dizzy. Anna pushed herself up, and took a step, finally looking down, and gasped. 

 

She was laying on the floor. Her dead body was splayed on the floor, blood sprayed across the hardwood and soaking her clothes. She was definitely dead, but she was also standing right here. “What is going on?” She said to herself, walking down the hallway, trying to make sense of the situation. _ Maybe I’m in a coma _ , she thought. She had heard of people having out of body experiences when they had near-death experiences, but this was something different altogether. She stopped at the end of the hall and looked in the mirror, seeing the whole room reflected behind her.

 

Wait. 

 

She couldn’t see herself in the mirror. She held up her hand, seeing it herself, but not seeing it reflected in the mirror. “What?” Anna whispered, pressing her hand up to the mirror, but instead of a solid surface, her hand passed through easily, and she pulled it back quickly. She heard Craig coming down the stairs, and she ran around the corner, hiding. Craig paused at the bottom of the stairs, and Anna glanced around the corner. His hair was wet, he must have just showered to get rid of the blood. He looked around and walked to the kitchen, and Anna followed, as quietly as possible, even though she didn’t think she was making any noise. She heard Craig pick up the phone, and dial a number. It was short, Anna didn’t have to guess what the number was. 

 

“Hello?” Craig said, sounding frantic. “Hello? Someone broke into my house!” He paused. “Oh my god! Anna!” He screamed, sounding fake desperate. “No!” And then hung up the phone. Anna couldn’t take it. 

 

“Hey!” She screamed, stepping out into the kitchen, but Craig just ignored her. “Craig!” She yelled, but Craig just walked over to her body, dragging it into the kitchen, leaving a blood trail behind it. Anna walked right up to him. “HEY!” Craig walked right through her, sending a shiver down Anna’s spine, and it finally hit her. 

 

She was a ghost. 

 

It didn’t take her long to get back to Asher’s house, and even though the door was locked, she just walked right through. It was dark, but it didn’t seem to affect Anna. She called out. “Asher?” Nothing. “Asher!” _ He was probably sleeping, _ Anna thought, and she decided to sit down on the couch and wait. She didn’t know what else to do.

 

Anna didn’t sleep. She ended up turning on the radio, very quietly, to listen to the music, but she couldn’t sleep. She watched as the sun snuck its way up through the buildings in the city. She heard Asher stirring upstairs and she hurried to turn the radio off. She didn’t want to scare him.

 

Anna sat at the kitchen table and watched as Asher made breakfast. She wanted to do something, but she knew it was useless. She had already tried to call out to him, to pick something up, so get his attention somehow, but it was futile. 

 

Asher walked with his bowl of oatmeal to his couch and turned the radio back on. The morning news was on.

 

“...And last night a gruesome tale of the wrong place, wrong time when the mayor’s son’s fiancee was murdered last night in a break-in. Residents of the area are asked to lock their doors as the killer is still at large. Mr. Patterson was questioned for further information…” and Anna had to stop listening.

 

Asher stopped chewing. “No,” he whispered, putting the bowl down and walking over to the radio. “No, no, no.” 

 

“Anna, she was my whole life,” Anna could hear Craig speaking over the radio, fake crying. Asher screamed. 

 

“NO!” 

 

Anna didn’t want to see Asher like this, but she didn’t know what to do. She could feel the rage building in Asher, could almost see the energy coming off of him in waves. 

 

She stood up, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

 

As soon as her fingertips touched his shoulder, she could feel the emotions that Asher was experiencing. Asher turned quickly, pulling his body back from her cold touch. 

 

“Asher,” she said, and this time Asher paid attention. 

 

“Hello?” Asher said, looking frantically around the room. She could see tears forming in his eyes. 

 

“Asher,” she repeated. “It’s me.” Anna reached out again, touching Asher’s arm. This time, Asher didn’t pull away, and instead, looked right at her. 

 

“Anna,” he choked out. “Are you really here?” Asher reached out, trying to touch her cheek. His hand passed through her face, and Anna closed her eyes. “You’re a ghost.” Asher figured, and Anna nodded. He stood for a moment, staring at Anna. “I have an idea,” Asher said suddenly and pulled away from Anna. “I’m going to trust that you’re still there,” he shouted into the air, and ran into the other room, coming back suddenly with a strange looking device. He plugged it into the wall, and the machine fired up, crackling with energy, it glowed a soft blue, and Anna was instantly drawn to it. 

 

“If you go close to this, you should be able to draw enough energy to manifest,” Asher explained, and Anna didn’t need to be told twice. She walked boldly over to the machine and held out her hand. The room itself seemed to darken and get colder as she felt the energy transfer. She felt powerful. She turned to face Asher, who still seemed to be looking through her. “Ok, if you concentrate, you should be able to create your body as you remember it.” 

 

It felt like waking up your foot after it falling asleep, except her whole body. It tingled her whole body, and she could feel the energy flowing through her fingertips. Asher gasped, making Anna smile. 

 

“Do I look good?” Anna said, and Asher laughed.

 

“Like nothing ever happened.” Asher frowned. “What did happen?” 

 

Anna explained the whole thing: her coming home, the fight, Craig’s attack, and the call to the police. Every once and a while, Anna reached over to the lamp, recharging herself. 

 

“That piece of shit,” Asher mumbled, and Anna sighed. She knew that he would probably get away with it too. A white man in a position of power. It was too easy. But there was an idea forming in her mind. 

 

“How do you know about this...ghost power stuff?” Anna asked, and Asher shrugged. 

 

“I’ve known some...ghosts in my time,” Asher said, nonchalantly, and Anna looked at him suspiciously. Asher didn’t continue, so she decided to move on. 

 

“Ok, well what if I somehow convinced the police that he did it? I can move through walls, people can’t see me.” Anna stopped. She didn’t really know what she would do though. Asher looked unconvinced.

 

“I mean, what if we just waited a few days. See what the police find.” Anna didn’t like it, but she had nothing else to do. 

 

So they waited. When Asher went to sleep at night and turned off the ‘ghost light’ as he called it, Anna would wander the streets. She liked it now. No one could yell at her, telling her that she shouldn't be out here. Her feet didn’t get tired, and she didn’t get cold. She could eavesdrop and no one would know any better. 

That’s how she learned that the police were closing her investigation. She had been loitering around one of their desks, reading the reports that were all over. 

 

She talked to Asher about it the next day, and he shook his head. 

 

“I don’t know what we can do about it. It’s not like I can walk into the station and claim that I’ve talked to the ghost of the woman who was murdered. They’d just lock me in the asylum.” Asher stood up from the couch, moving to sit next to Anna at the table. 

 

“I know,” Anna sighed. “I just wish that there was something that we could do.” 

 

“Me too,” Asher agreed. 

 

__

  
  


Anna waited three days to act. She had told Asher that she needed some time to think, and she left. She walked the city, looking for someplace to practice. The abandoned warehouse. She could feel the old energy there, from the hundreds of thousands of hours that the machines worked, and she drew on that, focusing on creating her form. 

 

Hours and hours she practiced. She created orbs. Practiced throwing her voice, so she could be heard but not seen. She practiced pulling on energy; using less and creating more. The building was full of energy, and as Anna became more and more active, the building seemed to come more alive. 

 

She walked through the city again, testing her powers. She could feel the power lines, and drew on them, popping the street light in front of her. She smiled. Finally. She was ready. 

 

It was past midnight when she arrived at Craig’s house. She walked right through the front door, coming into the kitchen. The lights were off, and she could sense someone on the couch. She approached silently. Craig was asleep, splayed on the couch. His mouth was open, and his forehead wasn't creased, showing none of the anger from his waking hours. Anna twisted her face into a snarl and grabbed a chair from the kitchen, throwing it into the wall with a loud bang. 

 

Craig was instantly on his feet, looking around frantically. There was real fear on his face, and Anna enjoyed it immensely. 

 

“Hello?” He said, his voice shaking. “Who’s there?” Anna turned on the kitchen light, causing Craig to jump again. He swallowed hard, and slowly crept his way to the kitchen. As he stepped in, Anna dropped the temperature 10 degrees and popped the bulb, sending Craig running back into the living room. Anna couldn’t help it laughing, and letting Craig hear her. 

 

“You better fucking come out and let me see you!” Craig threatened, but his voice betrayed his scared nature. 

Anna shoved the vase off the side table, shattering it on the floor, making Craig yelp again. He rushed over to the wall, turning on the lights. Anna let them stay on for a moment, before making them blink and then exploding those bulbs as well. 

 

Craig cried out, and Anna took a deep breath, drawing on Craig’s fear for energy. She heard Craig scream in absolute terror, meaning that she was succeeding. 

 

She had created a form that mimicked her in death. Stabbed and open, blood dripping down her body. She had taken some artistic liberties as well, rotting her skin a little. For dramatic effect. 

 

“Did you think that you would get away?” Anna said, her voice echoing in different octaves. Another trick she had learned. Craig cried out again, trying to make himself as small as possible in the corner. “You will join me in Hell!” Anna threatened, causing winds to manifest around the room, her hair blowing in the wind. Then all at once, she stopped, disappearing instantly, leaving Craig in the dark once again. 

 

__

  
  


“Anna!” Asher called out from the couch in the other room, his mouth full of cereal. “Listen to this!” Anna walked through the kitchen wall to Asher, who turned up the radio. 

 

“In a strange turn of events, the mayor’s son, Craig Patterson confessed this morning to murdering his fiancee. What caused this confession, we have no idea, we are headed to the station to get a statement…” Asher turned it back down, looking over at Anna. 

 

“You have an idea what that is about?” Asher asked, and Anna shook her head as innocent as she could muster, and Asher chuckled. “Well, it seems like your case is solved.” Anna smiled, looking out the window at the city. 

 

Anna looked back at Asher, who looked like he was holding something in. “What is it?” 

 

“Now that you’re, like a ghost, I think it would be ok to tell you this.” Anna was silent and Asher continued. “Have you ever heard of Roswell?” 

 

She shook her head. 

 

“It’s this, like, facility in New Mexico. It’s where I...came from.” Asher’s voice got quiet, and he looked Anna in her eyes. “Please, please don’t freak out.”

 

“Ok,” Anna whispered. “I’ll try.” Asher nodded and took a deep breath. He stood up off the couch and pull his shirt off, slowly. Anna looked at Asher in confusion, but he couldn’t look Anna in the face. He stood for a moment before a pair of huge, tan and white wings unfurled themselves from Asher’s back. They couldn’t extend fully in the small space, but Anna guessed that they would probably be around 15 feet stretched across. Anna stood up suddenly, and Asher folded them back up, hiding them. 

 

“Yeah, I know, I’m a monster.” Asher hung his head, but Anna disagreed. 

 

“No they’re...beautiful.” She reached out and he extended them again, and she stroked the feathers. They were soft, and she could sense the immense muscles underneath. 

 

Asher sat back down and explained to Anna the world that he lived in. He escaped, he said, and flew as far as he could before getting here. And he had encountered more monsters since: werewolves, vampires, other ghosts. He didn’t know where they came from, but he knew that regular humans weren’t supposed to know about their existence. 

 

Anna took it all in quietly. Two weeks ago, she would have thought Asher was crazy. But that fact stood that she was dead. And she was still here. So anything could be possible. 

 

“So what do we do now?” Anna asked, and Asher smiled. 

 

“How about another dance?” 

**Author's Note:**

> Also! If you want to listen to the song that they dance to (or at least what I listened to when writing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9s5Tp59qNk


End file.
